brother, take my hand, lead me through this hell
by particularly good finder
Summary: High school is like an inferno of pain and mockery, but having a friend by your side makes the fire a little more tolerable.


**AN: Just wanted to say "Happy Belated Birthday!" to the lovely Chris Colfer, without whom we would not have our favorite soprano diva =D Also, this story is set a little into the future (hopefully. I would **_**love**_** if Burt and Carole got married. They're so sweet together.)**

Kurt sinks down against the side of the dumpster, mind frantic as he notices that blood is staining his brand-new vest. Forget the excruciating pounding in his head, forget the disturbing laughter of his assailants as they walk away, forget the fact that Kurt Hummel just got the shit beaten out of him, forget everything – his vest is ruined. And, now, so is his day.

He hears his name coming from somewhere (he doesn't really care _where_ at the moment), and the shouted word sounds confused and frantic. Kurt doesn't look up; the red splotches on his new vest are bothering him to no end, and he feels tears welling up in eyes.

"Kurt." He turns this time, to find Finn Hudson, his stepbrother of nearly a month, crouching beside him, eyes wide.

Kurt says nothing, instead choosing to look back down at his ruined vest. Tears well up again, and he stares grumpily at his chest. Damn Neanderthals hadn't even let him remove his valuable piece of clothing. At least in the old days Finn would have taken that into consideration before pummeling him to the ground.

"Kurt?" Finn sounds even more worried now. Maybe he thinks his "buddies" have deafened the small boy, or that he is going into shock from the injuries he has sustained. But Kurt hears every word clearly, and, while he will be incredibly sore in the morning, the worst of the damage is to his vest (and possibly his nose; it hasn't stopped bleeding yet).

"I'm fine, Finn." The words sound so sure, so absolutely _Kurt_, but Finn has lived with the boy long enough to know when he's lying. He sits down, back against the disgusting dumpster wall, and sighs.

"Sure. Then why are you crying?"

Kurt scowls. "Because those bastards ruined my vest. It was new, too!" Finn lets out a dark chuckle, the weak smile leaving his face soon after.

"You know, I thought they would stop giving you this crap after our parents got married. I mean, they still give _me_ crap, but at least I can take them in small groups. I guess just thought the threat of _me_ would be enough to keep them away from you." Finn closes his eyes, leaning his head against the cool metal of the dumpster. "Obviously not."

Kurt sighs, pulling his eyes from his stupid vest. His nose really is hurting now, as are his ribs.

"Can we just go home, now?" He asks, wiping at his eyes with his palm. Finn nods, then grimaces as he notices how much Kurt is wincing as he accidentally touches the area around his nose.

He pulls some notebook paper from his backpack, handing it to Kurt to hold to his nose until they can obtain a tissue. The small soprano rolls his eyes, but takes the paper nonetheless, pressing it gently against his nose to soak up the blood that was still flowing.

Finn stands, hoisting his bag back onto his shoulders. Kurt tries to follow, but the bruising in his rib area makes it hard for the boy to stand. Finn realizes this, and extends his hand to help.

Kurt grabs it without a thought. A few months ago, he would have _killed_ to hold Finn's hand, but now – now that they are stepbrothers, and Kurt's crush is starting to wane a little – he just needs something stable to support him, metaphorically and (at the moment) literally. Luckily for him, Finn is like a rock: dense, stable, unmoving.

Finn pulls his stepbrother to his feet, wishing there had been something he could have done to stop the football guys from beating up "Lima's residential queer." Kurt was his friend – no, Kurt was his _brother_. Couldn't they pick on someone else?

The boys walk to Kurt's car slowly. Finn watches anxiously as Kurt hobbles along, in obvious, albeit silent, pain. He tries to offer to get the car and come pick him up, but Kurt refuses. On the outside, he says it's because that's silly, he's perfectly capable of walking. On the inside, though, he says it's because he doesn't want to be alone.

The taller boy often wonders if he feels so protective of his new brother because he lost his daughter so unexpectedly. The news that Drizzle was not his was quite a blow, and Finn thinks that maybe, just maybe, he sees some of the baby in Kurt; the soft skin, the innocent eyes, the high voice. Or maybe, Finn just cares for his brother, like he knows he should.

Kurt reluctantly lets Finn drive them home, his head pounding too hard for him to attempt to drive. They don't speak much; the radio is doing the all the talking that's needed.

They walk into the house and the world goes mad. Carole is in hysterics. Burt goes into an angry rage, cursing the kids who hurt his son. Carole hugs her stepson tightly. Burt shakes Finn's shoulders, asking if he knew the culprits. Carole runs off to find a first-aid kit. Burt goes off to find his rifle.

Kurt just sits down at the kitchen table, Finn across from him. The boys say nothing; they both know that mere words can't make the situation better. Instead, Finn takes Kurt's hand, smiling apologetically.

And that's all Kurt needs (well, that, and a new vest). Though high school is a living hell for both of them (the "homo" and the "traitor"), Kurt knows that his brother will always be there next to him, hand enveloping his as he leads the way home.

**Review, PLEASE! =)**


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